===Chapter 7===

Divine Judgement

Levy was a little confused by recent events. Makarov had come to her office to inform her of their arrival and desire to help with the investigation in any way possible. But the people in her office were just plain confusing. For some reason, he'd decided to bring the regimental musician and mascot, a hyperactive young blue-haired boy called Tim Happington, known affectionately as 'Happy' for obvious reasons.

He kept knocking all of the things over in Levy's office. Books, lamps, hat stands…it was most aggravating. Jetson was now practically hovering over him, forcing him to stay still.

But the other terrified Levy. The man was enormously tall, and broad to match. His ebon skin was taut with the muscles that held him together, his face monolithic and blank, save for a single scar running over one temple just shy of his alabaster hair.

"And what…sorry, what?" Levy asked, trying to refocus on what Makarov had just said.

"Based on recent events, I plan to permanently station this man with you, for security. His name is Leonardo Pardus, but we all just call him Lily."

"Does everyone in the military go by nicknames?" Levy asked, befuddled.

"Pretty much," Makarov replied with a broad grin. He inhaled deeply and became more serious. "Now, you treat him right! He may look a bit different, but he's one of my boys through and through. Been through many a battle together we have, and I've seen him risk his life for my men, and my men theirs for him."

"I…I'm sure. It'll be a pleasure to work with you, Mr Pardus!" Levy beamed, reaching out a hand. It was a sad fact that Queen Victoria's England was not a kind place for those of dark skin, but Levy would not allow herself to be so narrow minded. After all, a black man in the army was no more out of place that a woman in Scotland Yard! She balked as an enormous hand engulfed hers, but he applied no pressure and shook it gently.

"Thank you kindly, Inspector," he rumbled, flashing pearly teeth radiant against his skin. Levy assumed that he was happy that someone deigned to speak to him directly and fairly. "But please, call me Lily."

"No one fights harder than Lily here. I don't know what kind of man this Slayer is, but he's not going to come away from a fight with Lily with a big smile on his face." He pulled out a watch. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to visit a Mr Cheney over the matters of his induction."

===][===

The front door splintered before Laxus' fury. It was no small feat in and of itself, as the door was stout and tough. Orga ran forwards, bellowing his disbelief loudly and angrily. His right fist flashed out, but the blond haired man stepped in, driving his fist in a cross counter, breaking Orga's nose with a spray of blood.

"Stay down! My patience is wearing thin," Laxus shouted. "I want to see your master, right now!"

"I'd never-" Orgas' words stopped as Laxus kicked him viciously in the balls. He stooped to grab the butler's hair, yanking his head back. Their eyes met, filled with equal amounts of hate for the other.

"I said, I want to see your master, and I want to see him right now! I'm not here to speak to the hired help!"

"What are you doing?" Rogue cried as he hurried down the stairs. "You can't just break in here!"

"Why? Got some dirty laundry that you don't want me seeing, Slayer?" Laxus stalked up the stairs to meet him, but Rogue didn't shy away. His teeth clenched and his fists tightened.

"Is this some kind of vigilante justice? I am innocent, and I have provided Inspector McGarden with all of the information that I could! I am not the Slayer!" Laxus caught him by the throat and began to drag him up the stairs.

"I'll be the judge of that."

===][===

Makarov chuckled as the coach reached the mansion belonging to the Cheneys. He knew the aspiring lieutenant to be wealthy, but this was a bit much for the old man. He disembarked with Gray and Elfman, two of his more loyal soldiers.

"Help!" A maid cried as they entered the courtyard. Even from here, he could see the damage done to the main entrance. "There is a man inside, and he is attacking our master!"

I hope it's not that damn boy again. "Private Fullbuster, Strauss! Combat readiness! Treat this as a military exercise!"

The two men unholstered their pistols, loading the chambers. Neither had expected to use them today. They ran up to the entrance, flanking it. With a nod from Elfman, Gray stormed the entrance, scanning with his firearm. Makarov followed in their immediate wake as they began to follow the trail of destruction. Urns and flowerpots were overturned in between the bodies of servants who had tried to stop the interloper…and failed.

At the very end, they found Rogue, beaten and bloody, chest rising and falling in sloppy rhythm. A window nearby was shattered as his assailant fled into the dense London streets. Makarov grimaced. Had his foolish grandson been up to the same old tricks?

"Don't just stand there!" He snapped. "Get Master Cheney to the carriage. We'll take him to the hospital ourselves."

===][===

Lucy looked up from her desk as someone entered. Damnit Loke! Didn't you give your master warnings on when people where visiting…any...more… Her thoughts trailed off with the recognition of the man in her office.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried with sudden joy. "I didn't know you were back!"

Her boyfriend grinned that cheeky smile of his, completely at odds with his crisp red uniform. Lucy rounded the desk and they embraced deeply.

"Sorry Luce, haven't been back for very long. I was on patrol outside your house and thought I'd take five minutes off!"

"Natsu! You will get in trouble!" Lucy chastised. "Wait, why were you on patrol if you're back in London?"

"I'm not on leave, Luce. We've been redeployed."

"To London!?" Lucy screeched in surprise. Suddenly, it clicked. "You're here for the Slayer, aren't you?"

"Yes. And Luce, I've got a proposition for you."

===][===

"How bad is it?" Levy asked. Rogue's father, Henry Cheney, was a Registrar at the hospital and had pulled strings to get him the best private room in the building. He was an older man, with the same raven hair, but piercing blue eyes. Good, one less suspect.

"My son is made of sturdy stuff, Inspector," he replied icily. "Perhaps if you were doing your job, this would never have happened."

"But his condition?" Levy pressed, ignoring the jab.

"He's not going to be going anywhere for a while. Which is perhaps for the best. If the Slayer strikes tonight, you can cross my son off of your list of suspects!"

"Thank you for the information. I also sincerely hope for the innocence of your son."

===][===

In the main city square, a large crowd had once again gathered to watch the mad ramblings of brother Zeref. Infantrymen in their bright red livery walked around, maintaining peace and order. Levy, Jetson and Lily pushed through the crowd. Levy wasn't sure if she was going to stop him, but she wanted to be present.

In another part of the crowd, Laxus, Fried and Evergreen watched with attentive eyes. Their leads were drying up. They'd tail this weirdo the second the crowd dispersed.

"Repent sinners!" Zeref crowed. "None can be spared his wrath, unless you repent!"

"What a fool," Levy murmured. "The Slayer is a psychopath, nothing more. He can't be appealed to like some wrathful deity."

"In my experience, deities aren't too good on being appealed to either," Lily noted with his deep tones.

"I can hear doubters! Then, I shall demonstrate the Slayer's power!" Zeref extended a hand, pointing at a random person in the crowd. "Slayer! I beg of thee as an imperfect servant to smite this man!"

The man began to smile uncertainly, as if unsure of a bad joke. With a horrifying thunk, a knife embedded in his forehead, thrown with considerable force. The crowd screamed as the man pitched over backwards, dead in an instant.

Levy's eyes had followed the more important thing – the knife's trajectory. So had Lily and Laxus' cronies. Behind Zeref on the rooftop was the Slayer, cloak blowing in the wind. He was so much less frightening in the daylight, bereft of the shield of night.

"Rogue's in the hospital…and Zeref's right there," Levy mumbled, brain heading to the inevitable conclusion. No! It could be anyone! She couldn't think like that yet! With a dramatic flourish of his cape, the Slayer fled down the rooftop, out of the line of sight. Levy began to press through the crowd, but couldn't make way. Then Lily stepped forward, the crowd parting like the red sea.

Parallel to them, Laxus took off, Fried and Evergreen hot on his heels. They couldn't let him get away! Soldiers were more focussed on controlling the crowd, of preventing a stampede. No one stopped Zeref as he slipped away in the confusion.

Eventually, the two competing groups broke clear of the mass, heading down the streets on either sides of the row of houses. Both could see the occasional flash of cloak or hair. Levy began to trail behind Lily, who likewise was falling behind Jetson. Let nothing be said badly of the man's footwork.

Streets and corners began to flash by and Levy began to lose her sense of direction. How far had they gone and which way? In the distance, she heard a shout of pain that sounded like Jetson. Then she lost sight of Lily too and there were the sounds of a scuffle, a man shouting angrily.

Levy finally caught up to find Jetson on his rear end nursing a black eye and Lily wrestling a man to the ground.

Gajeel Redfox.

===][===

Elsewhere, Laxus came across a church, thinking that he'd seen the Slayer head this way. He pushed rudely past the priest inside, heading up to the very top of the steeple where the church bell hung. He gagged suddenly at the foul stench. There was blood everywhere. Crude language was scrawled in bodily viscera everywhere. It'd be practically invisible from the outside, but it was like an abattoir.

"Is this his lair?" He asked, covering his mouth and nose against the odour assailing him. There was a finger over there…a gouged eye…teeth…an ear…oh God; this was awful, even for a mobster like him.

No one was here though, and he headed back down to grill the priest over this. Fried and Evergreen had caught up by that point and assisted.

"This is an abomination!" The priest cried, backed into a corner. "You would touch a man of the cloth?"

"Not if you answer my questions," Laxus hissed, cracking his knuckles.

The priest was an old man and quickly gave in to the threats. All he knew was that he hadn't been up there in years. He found it hard to climb up there in his advanced age and left it to the elements. It was hard to believe the frail old geezer to be a party to this, so Laxus left, stalking away fuming.

"Arrange to have this church watched all day, every day. If he sniffs around here, I want to know it. The priest will report this, and it'll soon be a crime scene. Fried, if that girl comes here and it looks like she's figured anything out…"

"Yes?" Fried pressed.

"Do I need to spell it out? Beat the shit out of her. We have no more time. I want all of the information she has."

"I don't know how I feel about that. She's just a little girl," Fried stated. Laxus whirled around and slammed Fried into the wall with a painful crack. He shivered under Laxus' baleful glare, fearful for his life. He shook his head slightly at Evergreen. Don't try to be a hero.

"I don't care if she's the pope! Hit her until she talks. She doesn't talk, hit her harder!"

"Y…yes, Laxus," Fried spat out through a grimace. "If I believe her to have important information, I will use any means necessary to extract it."

===][===

"This is fucking bullshit!" Gajeel shouted from his jail cell. He pounded against the iron bars with fury, heedless of the injury he was causing himself.

"I'm sorry," Levy replied earnestly from the other side of the bars. "In truth, I believe your innocence, but the circumstance was just too suspect. This is a compromise. We are going to hold you in custody for a little while. If the Slayer kills again, then you're innocent."

"This cannot be legal," Gajeel spat.

"Perhaps not, but I hope that you can understand the seriousness of the situation calls for drastic measures. With this, you will be free to live your life in peace."

"I'm gonna lose work in here!" He shouted, becoming irate again. "I have an order to fill! This will cast a shadow on my name you little runt!"

"You did assault my colleague," Levy noted. "Assaulting a member of the law is ample justification for holding you here for a day or two."

"That lanky beanpole had it coming! Trying to arrest me on the spot like that!" Suddenly, Gajeel grinned. "But that black guy, I like! Tell him that I'd like to spar with him when I get out!"

"I'll pass on the message, Mr Redfox." Gajeel was looking at her oddly. "What?"

"You really believe that I'm innocent, don't you?" He asked. "What reason do you have for that?"

"Well, the evidence has been maddeningly inconclusive, but I just feel like you're an honest man. Straightforward, brutish, thuggish…but honest."

Gajeel actually laughed. "You know something, Shorty? You're alright. You speak your mind despite the fact that you're just a little…"

"I implore you not to finish that sentence so that I may take it as a compliment," Levy replied, mouth twisting into a sardonic smile. "May I make a confession to you, Mr Redfox?"

"It's Gajeel, Shorty."

"It's Levy, Gajeel."

"Shorty. But what would a detective inspector have to confess?" He looked to be enjoying himself a little too much, Levy thought.

"Perhaps my desire for your innocence is not based entirely within logic. For some reason, I find myself drawn to you. Despite your bad manners, you gave me that sword out of concern for my wellbeing. I know that your time in the army made you a good man. And perhaps it is a personal failing, but your illiteracy touches me."

"Ah? Wanna fix me, do you?" Gajeel chuckled. "Take your schoolgirl crush elsewhere. I'm not good for your sort."

"And what sort is that?" Levy asked, becoming annoyed.

"The wordy, clever sort. I need a girl who can survive me. Someone made of tempered iron. You look more like a porcelain doll to me."

"Well, fine." Levy huffed. What was she doing!? "I'll take my leave then."

"Oi," Gajeel snorted as Levy left, making her turn back. Gajeel looked away, his expression inscrutable. "Be careful."

===][===

By the time Levy finally returned to her office it was late. There was a plethora of letters on her desk and she set to opening them, eager to get to bed. One of them was from Constable Macao, about the discovery in the church tower. Reading it closely, she shivered. She'd have to visit it in the morning.

Another one bore the familiar handwriting of Lucy.

Dear Levy,

You are cordially invited to a masquerade ball to be held at my mansion on the seventeenth. I have endeavoured to invite as many of the local nobles and movers and shakers as I can. Natsu has promised me the full cooperation of the army in terms of security.

Perhaps it will be a way to unwind in these stressful times, or perhaps this will present an opportunity the Slayer cannot pass up. You told me that he could not resist a challenge to his authority. We will certainly provide a tempting target, with many illustrious guests and heavy security.

It starts promptly at eight, and please feel free to bring any guests with you. I imagine you have a few bodyguards, and dare I dream that you'll bring a suitor?

With love,

Lucy Heartphilia

P.S I sent Mira a dress for you, since I am aware you probably need the help!

"Lu-chan, that's a dangerous game," Levy sighed. She'd heard about her boyfriend's wild streak. Clearly it was rubbing off on Lucy, but then again her old friend was never shy on confidence. In the end of the day, there was no reason to assume that the Slayer would attack anyway.

No, much more terrifying was the prospect of being stuffed into a dress by Mira.

===][===

After Levy blew out the lantern lighting her office and headed off to her bedroom the window slid open, a dagger expertly forcing the lock from the outside.

Fried quietly began to sift through the letters on the desk, noting anything of import. He froze as he began to read Lucy's letter.

"Interesting," he mumbled. Perhaps he could help coax the Slayer into making an appearance. Brother Zeref had fled after the killing in the square, but getting the message back to him should be simple. A bit of gossip here, a bit of gossip there and he'd know. And if he was truly in touch with the Slayer…this was a golden opportunity.

===][===

"Master Rogue," Orga mumbled, bowing low as his master returned home from the hospital.

"Oh please stop gurning, Orga," Rogue replied impatiently. He was using a cane to walk, and his face was a livid mess of bruises. "It wasn't your fault that I got attacked. Now, help me prepare for bed. I shall attend to my duties in the morning."

Duties, including a pile of letters, the top of which was stamped with the Heartphilia crest.